The implementation of planned assessment programs for mines and petroleum sites is a crucial element in the Resources Regulator's incident prevention strategy.
The Resources Regulator has developed assessment tools to proactively develop the Regulator’s incident prevention strategy for health and safety compliance across the NSW resources industry.
The Regulator’s planned assessment programs focus on assessing a mine operator's management of the critical controls to prevent material unwanted events (MUE) and evaluate the effectiveness of critical controls in the mine operator’s health and safety management system.
The Regulator’s planned assessment programs have been developed from a broad-brush risk assessment review conducted in January 2024 of the major risks in the NSW mining industry and will focus on legislated principal hazards and control plans.
The Regulator acknowledges various terminology definitions published by the ICCM and other safety organisations. However, for the purposes of the Regulators assessment program a critical control is a control that, of itself, materially impacts the likelihood or consequence of an event in the absence of other controls.
The Regulator will assess the identified critical controls to prevent a MUE which for the purpose of the Regulator’s assessment program a MUE is the point at which a system reaches an uncontrollable deviation from safe operations and has the potential to result in multiple deaths though a single incident or a series of recurring incidents resulting in a fatality outcome.
Regulator assessments will assess documentation and implementation of the critical controls at mine sites and will provide a report to the mine operator. The Inspector may in certain circumstances issue written directions to the mine operator using compliance notices issued under WHS Act legislation as a result of the findings of the assessment review at the mine.
At the completion of the overall assessment program, the Regulator will publish a summary information report to advise industry of overall assessment findings, the number and types of compliance notices issued and provide industry with recommendations relating to the findings of the critical control assessments.
The Regulator acknowledges that mine sites have the ability to identify and manage their own critical controls based on the context of that individual business.
Compliance priority reports
We produce and share reports on our activities in order to:
- ensure a consistent and responsive regulatory approach
- provide increased transparency and confidence in our compliance and enforcement activities
- promote voluntary compliance by industry
You can view and download the reports from the Compliance page.
Assessment program fact sheets and reports
Prior to the commencement of an assessment program, a fact sheet is published for the mining industry to outline the ‘Principal Hazard’ or ‘Control Plan’ in focus in the assessment program.
Each fact sheet tables the ‘Critical Controls’ to be assessed within the assessment program together with relevant publication links to Regulator Safety Alerts, Safety Bulletins, guidance material and information resources.
View our assessment program fact sheets
Principal hazards
Air quality or dust or other contaminants
Fire and explosion
Ground or strata failure
Inundation or inrush of a substance
Mine shafts and winding systems
The Regulator assesses this principal hazard within other program plans such as MECP and EECP. Windings systems designs are third party verified. The design is registered with the Regulator. Each winder installation is then registered with the Regulator. Refer to plant registration for more information.
Roads and other vehicle operating areas
Spontaneous combustion
The Regulator assesses this principal hazard within other program plans such as the ventilation control plan and fire and explosion principal hazards.
Subsidence
The Regulator assesses this principal hazard within other program plans such as the mechanical engineering control plan and ground or strata failure hazard plan. Refer to subsidence engineering for more information.
Control plans
Electrical engineering control plan
Emergency management control plan
For more information and guidance including fact sheets go to the Emergency Planning page
For information and guidance including fact sheets go to the Hazardous chemicals page
Explosives control plan
For more information and guidance including fact sheets go to the Explosives controls page
Health control plan
Mechanical engineering control plan
- Mechanical engineering control plan - unintended interaction with rotating or moving equipment (PDF, 104.51 KB)
- Mechanical engineering control plan - uncontrolled release of energy including spring energy and fluid under pressure (PDF, 120.3 KB)
- Mechanical engineering control plan - uncontrolled structural collapse or failure (PDF, 194.48 KB)
- Mechanical engineering control plan - unplanned movement of person in workbox (PDF, 115.52 KB)
- Mechanical engineering control plan - object falling (PDF, 99.67 KB)
- Mechanical engineering control plan - person falling (PDF, 175.39 KB)
Psychosocial hazards
Ventilation control plan
Well integrity control plan
The Regulator assesses this control plan by the regulation of exploration activities undertaken pursuant to an exploration title. Refer to Exploration codes of practice for more information.
Other program topics
Compliance priority or high visibility campaigns
The Regulator undertakes compliance priority programs and high visibility campaigns to:
- ensure a consistent and responsive regulatory approach
- provide increased transparency and confidence in our compliance and enforcement activities
- promote voluntary compliance by industry
Training and competencies
The Regulator provides workshops and programs to educate workers and management about health and safety issues in the workplace. Refer to Training and education programs for more information.
Assessment program reports
The Regulator uses a bowtie hazard management framework and standardised assessment checklist for each program plan. Under each program plan, the effectiveness of the safety management system at each mine site is assessed against a set of critical controls to prevent a material unwanted event (MUE), with the program findings, compliance notice outcomes and recommendations to industry concerning the critical controls to prevent a MUE published in the reports available below.